


Baby, Quit Raidin' My Heart

by mash1518



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Action, Angst, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-08-22 10:23:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16596032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mash1518/pseuds/mash1518
Summary: "You saw it. We all saw it!" his southern voice twanged.She really needed a stimpack."Colter's dead." he continued, turning to face her. He was wearing an elaborate eyepatch and sported a mohawk. She met his eye. "We've got ourselves a new Overboss."Audrey felt the colour drain from her face.~~~Audrey White doesn't know what to expect when she decides to follow the jingle on her PipBoy to the infamous Nuka World. She certainly doesn't expect to find herself surrounded by a fortress of Raiders and a certain Porter Gage.





	1. One - Prologue

Audrey wasn't expecting to actually do it. To actually make it this far.

The first room should have been an indicator that she should just take her pistol and aim it right at her head. To just end it right there and then, with that shrill voice taunting her over and over again. 

But that wasn't something she was particularly fond of doing.

So she persevered, taking out the turrets one by one. Followed by avoiding the trip-lines and traps. 

It was absolute chaos, but she took her time, much to the constant dismay of the man over the speakers.

 _If I get out of here_ , she remembered thinking _You're the first one to go._

She'd somehow made her way through the sick and twisted obstacle course, all the way to the end. She had stood atop a platform, behind wire and broken glass, and stared down the man called Colter. 

His accent only made him seem like that much more of a prick, and her brows had furrowed as he cackled at the fact that she was a woman. 

He certainly hadn't been laughing as he stared at her with emotionless eyes after she shot him square in the forehead.

Her breathing was hitched as she watched the red blossom across the bullet hole. She hobbled a few steps back as the power armour thumped forward, the metal crash echoing the small bumper car attraction. She tried to put weight on her right leg, but clenched her teeth together as a sharp pain shot through her knee.

_Thanks a lot, asshole._

The crowd that had been watching had started shouting. She couldn't make out much aside from the occasional "What the fuck just happened?" and "Was that even possible?"

"Holy shit!" came the announcers voice. "I don't ... I don't even know what this means!" 

She wiped off her face with the crook of her arm, and looked down to see it stained crimson.

"Colter, man, he's out!"

The crowd was going nuts now. 

"Gage, what the hell just happened?"

_Gage._

She spun around to see the man standing behind the ride controls. She first had the joy of hearing him when she had first entered Nuka World, as he so kindly informed her of her fate. He had also been the one to warn her about Colter's electric suit and had stashed the Thirst Zapper in order to shorten the circuits, resulting in her success.

But that was besides the point.

She glared at him coldly.

_You're number 2 on my list, bud._

"You saw it. We all saw it!" his southern voice twanged. 

She really needed a stimpack.

"Colter's dead." he continued, turning to face her. He was wearing an elaborate eyepatch and sported a mohawk. She met his eye. "We've got ourselves a new Overboss."

Audrey felt the colour drain from her face.

_What the hell have I gotten myself into now?_


	2. Two

She stood with her arms crossed looking out towards Nuka World. The night air was brisk, but nothing she wasn't used to. She let out a long sigh, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. She could hear gunshots coming from somewhere below.

So she was the new Overboss. To a bunch of fucking Raiders.

Preston would be so proud.

After the crowd had settled down, Porter Gage had let her out of the bumper car arena. She had proceeded to call him every expletive she knew, even getting creative with a few. He had simply stood there and waited until she was finished, before proceeding to tell her his side. As much as she wanted to raise the same pistol that she killed Colter with to the yellow fuckers head, she resisted the urge. She listened.

"Taking out Colter wasn't just a last minute decision," he'd said. "it was something a few of us here have been working on for a while. Now that he's actually gone, we've got ourselves a vacancy in the Overboss department. And guess what, you've just got the job."

They argued. Well, she argued with him, until she finally gave in. He told her about the three groups they had here in Nuka World: The Operators, The Pack, and The Disciples. They all sounded like a cheery bunch. She'd asked where he fit in, but he didn't answer her question.

_Rude._

After that he lead her through the park, pointing out different areas. She had never been here back when it had been up and running in her time, but from what she had seen on the commercials, it had looked amazing. She had remembered begging her mother to buy her tickets but she'd always received an eye roll and a _"We can't afford that kind of luxury."_ Once she moved out when she was eighteen and started her internship she thought she'd finally be able to afford to go.

Boy was she wrong.

Once they got to the top floor of the building Gage called Fizztop Grill, he told her all about how Colter initially wanted from this place. A fortress they had started to take over, but never finish. Colter had been lazy.

Audrey had scoffed, saying that was just what a Raider was, but Gage had frowned. He had thought Colter had potential. Which lead to the little plan he whipped up in finding a new Overboss.

And _tah-dah!_ Here she was.

Then he told her about getting the gangs to support her. It was a lot to all take it, and he reassured her that he'd be there beside her. He knew them, been with and against them for years.

Somehow that didn't really make her feel a whole hell of a lot better.

Reluctantly, she followed behind him as he took her to meet the leaders.

First off was Nisha, leader of the Disciples. Audrey just about gagged after they entered the building. The entire interior was covered in stale blood. She swallowed back the bile that had risen in her throat, and negotiated terms with the woman.

Next was Mags and William Black, from the Operators. Audrey found she liked Mags, and got along with her well, being a Raider and all. Hard not to when an abundance of caps was something they had in common.

And last, but certainly not least, was Mason. Leader of the Pack. The smell from the Amphitheater certainly matched that from Fizztop Mountain. Mason was... well. As it goes, if you don't have anything nice to say...

Yeah, he was a fucking asshole.

Which lead to now.

She could hear Gage rustling around for something behind her. She gripped her shoulders tighter.

"Here," he said gruffly coming from behind her. She turned to see him holding out a stimpack. "Should have given it to ya earlier."

Her knee ached as she looked down at the syringe. She really wanted to take it. She eyed him suspiciously. "Why should I take it?" She asked. "It's probably laced with something that'll kill me on the spot."

Gage didn't look amused. "Look, boss. If I was capable of doing that, Colter would have been gone a long time ago."

Audrey scrunched her nose and snatched the stimpack from his hand, immediately removing the cap from the needle and jamming it into her knee. She bit her lip at the quick prick, but it was quickly replaced by the numbing sensation of the stimpack.

"Thanks." she grumbled, setting the syringe aside.

She still didn't know what to think of the Raider. He'd been the right hand of Colter, that's about as much as she knew. He didn't seem to roll with either of the gangs here. He could definitely take care of himself though. He was built under the ridiculous armour he wore, as much as she didn't want to notice. He eyed her curiously, before clearing his throat.

"I'll leave you alone then. Let you take in the place." He started towards the door that opened to the interior of the Fizztop Grill. Must be where he stayed. She watched him retreat, and he had one hand on the door knob. "Tomorrow'll be a busy one."

She rolled her eyes.

As if today hadn't been enough.

He retreated inside, shutting the door quietly behind him. Audrey felt the effects of the stimpack starting to take its toll, covering her mouth as she yawned. Those fuckers always made her drowsy. Something she discovered after climbing out of the Vault however many months ago. She lost count. Something to do with the fact she wasn't as used to the current conditions as literally everyone else was.

She drug herself towards the giant bed that was set up on a platform and threw herself down. It was surprisingly comfortable as she started to kick off her boots. She didn't let herself think about what went down with the previous owner.

She felt her eyelids grow heavy and soon the room disappeared into black.


	3. Three

Audrey could feel warmth speckled across her cheek, and she felt herself begin to stir awake. She blinked and squinted at the sunlight streaming through the... cracked window? She rubbed her eyes, trying to get them to focus. She sat up in her bed, feeling the ratty sheets underneath her.

_What the hell?_

She closed one eye, examining the room before her.

Mannequins were set up in peculiar positions, and rather vulgar paintings hung on the walls. Bottles and used canisters of Jet littered the counters and floors.

Audrey groaned.

_Oh Yeah._

_Nuka World. Her killing Colter. Her becoming Overboss. A normal Tuesday._

 She fell back against the bed and stared up at the ceiling. There was a crudely drawn picture of a naked woman with enormous breasts straddling a radstag.

Audrey covered her face with her arms and sighed.

Suddenly the door was thrown open and Audrey's heart stammered in her chest. She quickly grabbed her pistol she'd hidden under her pillow and aimed it at the intruder.

"Whoa, whoa there." Said Gage holding up his hands. "It's just me, boss."

"Fuck, Gage!" She snarled, tossing the gun onto the bed. "You can't just DO that!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Thought you were already up."

She stumbled her way out of the bed, very ungracefully. "How about knocking next time, huh? Or do you Raiders even know what common courtesy is?"

Gage didn't say anything, instead giving Audrey a rather exaggerated eye roll.

She made her way off the small platform and to a cooler that was sitting on the counter. She dug around inside, only finding chems.

"Time to get ready and roll up your sleeves, boss." Gage finally said. She looked towards him and he was standing there with his arms crossed. "There's work to be done."

Audrey just stared at him. "You're kidding me, right? It's only..." She lifted her arm to look at her PipBoy but remembered she'd taken it off last night. She dashed over to where it was resting on a table. She snatched it up and squinted at the small clock. "Eleven thir..." She trailed off.

"Thought I'd give the new Overboss some time to sleep in, get her beauty rest."

She glared at him, setting the PipBoy back down. "Alright, what's on the agenda?"

"Well," Gage cleared his throat. "First we need to get some supplies from the market. It's most likely gonna use up a lot of resources clearing all the parks. That shouldn't take too long. Then we need to get you some new armour. I was able to salvage most of it from you goin' through the Gauntlet, but you'll need some new braces. And third - we start clearing parks."

"Uh...huh." Audrey said. She ran her fingers through her hair, tangles catching in her hand. She needed a brush. "And when was this "we" established?"

Gage scoffed. "You must be outta your mind if you think that you can handle clearing the parks yourself."

"Why not?" She quipped. "I made it through the Gauntlet, didn't I?" She finally found a half-eaten box of Sugar Bombs and poured out a handful. She winced as they crunched against her teeth. Stale as shit.

"That course is nothin' compared to what's out there, boss."

Audrey wrinkled her nose. "Don't call me that."

"You better get used to it." he said, uncrossing his arms and heading back towards the door inside. "Ten minutes and we're heading out."

She tossed aside the Sugar Bombs. "Twenty."

Gage just shrugged, leaving Audrey in peace.

 

~

 

She was ready in forty-three minutes, taking her sweet-ass time. She had managed to find a brush, untangling the mess that was her hair. Why she kept it long, she didn't know. She'd been tempted to chop it off on more than one occasion, as it just got in the way ninety-five percent of the time.

She also changed her shirt, opting to find something of Colter's considering hers was still covered in his and hers dried blood. She found a simple white T-shirt that she tied at the side.

She met Gage at the base of Fizztop and together they made their way to the market. Gage bartered with the vendors, or slaves rather, and Audrey took in her surroundings. It was a busy little market, which surprised her. The slaves were dressed in rags which she frowned at. To top it off they were also wearing shock collars. That didn't surprise her.

It was run by the Raiders after all.

She spoke with them all, each having their own items to sell. Most of them were upset, obviously, but some seemed eager to please the Overboss.

Audrey didn't like it one bit.

She had never gone far with the Minutemen, opting for the Brotherhood while in the Commonwealth, but she would have a few choice words for Preston when she got out of here.

If she got out of here.

They ended up with a lot of ammunition, stimpacks, radaway, the works. Gage lead her to her armour which though pretty dented, still looked decent. She tugged on the combat armour chest piece, securing it tightly. Her shoulder pieces still fit, as well as the leg pieces. She had to hand it to the Raider, he knew how to fix some armour.

"Alright." she said after they finished organizing their packs. "Now what?"

Gage pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and spread it across the table. "This is a map of all the parks. There's the Galactic Zone - that one's the closest. Then Dry Rock Gulch, Safari Adventure, The World of Refreshment, and finally Kiddie Kingdom."

Audrey thought back to Gage's plan of dividing the parks up between the three Raider gangs. "Five parks - someone's getting the short straw."

Gage shrugged. "Yeah someone'll be pissed, but hey. That's life for ya. Aint always fair."

Audrey squinted up at him while he examined the map.

_Oh if you only knew._


	4. Four

  
They opted for Kiddie Kingdom first. Gage had gotten word that it was infested with ferals, and Audrey wasn't particularly fond of them. Due to an unfortunate incident that had occurred only a few weeks of being out of the vault. She had found herself stumbling into an old train station that had been crawling with them.

How she managed to kill them all without losing a limb or becoming one of them, was a miracle.

So she wasn't a fan of ferals, or tight spaces.

That one's self-explanatory.

They made their way to the first park, and Audrey couldn't help but find herself sneaking glances at the Raider beside her. He was unlike any other Raider she had come across. Hell, this entire park was something else. All of the Raiders she had dealt with in the Commonwealth were greedy, chem-ridden imbeciles. They didn't seem like they had any sane part about them. But Gage was different. 

She was wondering how he got the eye-patch when he turned to look at her.

"So were you gonna tell me your name, or do I have to just guess?"

She turned to meet his eye, then looked back towards the road.

"You already call me "boss". Do I really need to give you my name?"

"True enough." he said simply. "I'm just curious, is all."

She thought about whether she should tell him at all. She really did. She didn't really have a lot to hide, considering Piper had her story published in Diamond City ages ago. Pretty much all of the Commonwealth knew who she was. That story must not have made it here.

"Audrey." She said quietly. "Audrey White."

He didn't say anything in response, and she had to wonder what was going through that mind of his.

They finally approached the gates to Kiddie Kingdom, just as run down as the rest of Nuka World she'd seen thus far. Audrey quickly dug through her pack, reaching for her trusty bottle of Rad-x. She tossed back a few pills and offered them to Gage. He took a handful himself. They readied their rifles and made their way past the gate.

It seemed fine at first. The park was quiet, aside from a strange mist that hovered in the air. Audrey looked through her scope to try and find any of the ferals that had been reported. 

_"Well now friends,"_ A gravelly voice said over a loudspeaker. _"It seems we have another uninvited guest to the park."_

Audrey lowered her gun and looked at Gage. He shrugged his shoulders, but kept his rifle raised.

_"Up! Up, performers! It's time for another show! Though I doubt you'll even make it to the Theater, stranger."_

And then all hell broke loose.

Audrey watched in horror as multiple bodies of previously killed ferals started pulling themselves up from the ground. Some were lacking limbs, but that didn't stop them. She felt frozen in place, eyes locked on the bodies making their way towards them. She was vaguely aware of Gage screaming for her to shoot them, but she couldn't move. All she could picture was the pack that had nearly mauled her at the train station.

A shot and an explosion of brain matter snapped her out of it and looked to see Gage reloading.

"Come on, boss! You're gonna get us killed!"

Audrey quickly raised her rifle, shooting two that were dashing towards them.

"There's too many." shouted Gage, and suddenly grabbed a hold of her arm. He pulled her towards him and they started running.

 _"Shall we take bets on where this one shuffles off?_ " That voice buzzed over the loudspeakers as they ran to escape the ferals. _"What do you think friends, the tunnels? The Fun House?"_

Audrey swore as they dashed through the park, shooting behind them as they ran for any sort of cover.

_I'm gonna kill that mother fucker._

 

~

 

They managed to find cover alright... in the Fun House.

As if Audrey wasn't frustrated enough, her and Gage had to maneuver through a mirror maze, hop across rotating platforms, and make their way through spinning cylinders. Thank Christ that she had been able to successfully hack the terminal to activate "Reduced Nausea Mode". 

She didn't want to know what that was like without it.

"What the hell kinda sick person would build this?" said Gage after they somehow finally managed to make it through the correct door with the floor spinning beneath them. Audrey rested her forehead against her arm, leaning against the wall. The room was still spinning, and she closed her eyes, resisting the urge to vomit.

"Would you believe me if I told you they did it for fun?"

Gage swore, multiple times. 

"They also didn't have to worry about surviving against ferals and a maniac somehow knowing wherever the fuck we are at all times." Audrey continued. 

They collected themselves and continued through the Hell hole that was the Fun House. Thankfully, the exit was right around the corner, and as Gage worked on removing the chain attached to the door, Audrey made her way through a side door, and up a small set of stairs.

It appeared to be the main control room for all of the attractions in the Fun House. Audrey scanned the area looking for the son of a bitch responsible for all of this mayhem.

 _"Sorry, already gone, little raider."_ came the same voice over the speakers. _"Don't worry, I've still got plenty of surprises in store for you."_

"God dammit!" Audrey shouted, kicking at a bucket at her feet. It clanged off of the wall.

"You alright, boss?" Gage's voice came from behind.

Audrey turned to face him. "That bastard is already gone."

Gage crossed his arms and huffed loudly. "Figures."

"We need to try and find the controls for those fucking mist sprayers." she said, walking over to a terminal in the hope that somehow it was the one. But of course, to no avail.

"He did mention something about some tunnels." said Gage.

Audrey straightened from the terminal, and wielded her rifle. As much as she didn't want to venture back out into the feral-infested grounds. It had to be done.

"The tunnels it is then." 


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies that is has been so long. Hoping to keep up with regular updates from now on.

The tunnels were a bust.

That pissed off Audrey, considering they had to make their way through more of that mist and painted ghouls. They ended up following metal tracks of a car ride that was somehow still functioning. More than once either her or Gage had been close to getting knocked over by one of the buggy's zooming by.

Once they managed to find the tunnels, they made their way down the stairs to the sound of the ghouls voice close. He was in a small room, talking to a feral as if the bombs hadn't dropped, and the park was still running as usual. They were able to make him out as he glowed a eerie shade of green, sporting a top hat and tuxedo of all fucking things.

After he vanished they had made their way across broken beams and tangled metal into the room, killing the feral. Audrey was able to log into the terminal, but couldn’t find anything of note about the ghoul. She was, however, successful at turning off the mist sprayers.

How long that would last, she didn’t know.

“So, what’s the plan, boss?” asked Gage as they dug through old duffel bags in what Audrey assumed used to be the quarters for all of the staff back in the day.

“You keep asking me that as if I know what the hell is going on.” She quipped.

They’d been searching the staff quarters for a good half hour and had come up with nothing.

Audrey straightened from leaning over a desk and stretched out her back. “I don’t think we're going to find much here. We need to head back to the surface.”

Gage nodded, and the pair gathered what few stimpacks and canned goods they found, and headed back up to the grounds of Kiddie Kingdom.

To Audrey's surprise, the air around them was clearer as they exited the tunnels. She couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

 _Dumb-ass, Ghoul_.

She grinned at Gage, who smirked in return, until the all too familiar crackle of the loudspeaker came overhead.

 _“Oh no! You shut off my defenses!”_ said the ghoul. _“Oh well, I’ll just turn these back on.”_

Audrey looked to Gage, as the mist from the sprayers slowly surrounded them.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she groaned.

Gage reached into her pack and found her bottle of Rad-x. He handed them to her.

“Come on.” He drawled. “Let's find that son of a bitch.”

 

~

 

They scoured the majority of the park, leaving dead ferals behind them. One good thing about trying to find the green fucker was that they were still clearing the park in the process, the whole plan they had to begin with.

Finally they came across King Cola's Castle, but not after barely avoiding a fucking missile launcher that had been set up behind the gates of the castle grounds.

_Who the fuck even thinks of that maniacal shit?_

Audrey and Gage made their way inside, wielding their rifles.

 _“You’ve finally arrived!”_ said the ghoul, his voice louder on the speaker than before. _“Quickly! The show is about the begin.”_

Audrey looked to Gage who had the same What The Fuck expression on his face. They made their way through the large set of red doors to what was a large auditorium. Bodies of ferals littered the ground and a single spotlight lit the second floor of the stage. It focused on a throne.

_This is going to be lovely._

_“And now!”_ another voice said over the loudspeaker. _“The show you’ve all been waiting for…”_

Both Audrey and Gage held their weapons tight as they stood close to each other. Who knew what kind of shit they’d gotten themselves into.

_“Oswald the Outrageous!”_

In a flash of smoke, they looked up to see the infamous Oswald appear on the second floor of the stage. As the smoke dissipated, his green ghoul face glowing down at them.

“I’ll admit, I didn’t think you would make it this far.” said Oswald. “I can tell you’re different than the usual invaders, so I’ll not bother with the usual tricks and illusions to scare off the superstitious.”

Gage raised his rifle to the ghoul as he threw something to the ground. Smoke exploded around him, and Audrey was surprised to see him appear on the main stage.

_Illusions, my ass._

“When the bombs fell, everything changed.” Oswald looked down to the ferals lying on the ground. “We changed. And somehow, I received a gift. Actual magic, the stuff of legends. Perhaps you’d like to see some?”

Audrey didn’t think it was going to be pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

“Up!” he shouted, and suddenly the fallen ferals started to rise, being pulled by invisible strings. Audrey stared in horror. Gage immediately turned his back to hers. He began firing at the ghouls, as Oswald unsheathed a fucking sword of all things, and dashed towards the pair. Audrey fired at him relentlessly, dashing to the side as he swiped at her. The blade nicked her shoulder, and she hissed in pain, but continued shooting at him while Gage defended them from the ferals.

How Oswald managed to stand after so many shots, Audrey did not know. It seemed like it was going on for ages. After many shots to the chest, Audrey swore she saw a hint of pain in his eyes, and he threw something to the ground. Smoke exploded around them, and he disappeared once again.

“ _Sorry, but I’m not going out that easily.”_ His voice came over the loudspeaker again. _“The show must go on!”_

_For fuck’s sake._

Audrey turned and helped Gage take out the remaining ferals. After they fell, Gage turned to her breathless. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She winced as the cut on her shoulder throbbed. “I’m fine.”

He looked down to her wound, and frowned. He placed a hand on top and looked a little closer. “That’s gonna need stitches.”

She shook him off, regretting the motion immediately. “I said I’m fine.”

 _“Well, it seems your asinine assault won’t be dissuaded.”_ Oswald said. _“Then I guess it’s time for our final act.”_

Audrey groaned.

_“Join me on the roof of King Cola’s Castle, and we’ll see an end to this production.”_

The pair looked at each other, and Gage shrugged his shoulders.

Audrey was dumbfounded.

This whole day had been insane.

They found an elevator and reluctantly made their way inside. As the doors closed and it began to rise, Audrey couldn’t help but close her eyes, and took a deep breath.

She hated elevators.

Thankfully, the ride didn’t last long, and the doors opened to the roof of the castle. They both raised their rifles, and cautiously stepped into the center of the roof. Oswald was nowhere to be seen.

“You Raiders are all the same.” He said suddenly. They turned to see the smoke dissipating as he stood on a platform. “You come into someone’s home, steal their belongings, and kill those they care about. I’m not going to let you kill any more of my friends. This is our home, not yours.”

Audrey stepped forward, and lowered her rifle. “I’m not your enemy. This can end without bloodshed.”

“We’ve defended this place for over 200 years. Do you think you’re the first outsider I’ve met that’s chosen to brand “feral” ghouls as monsters? How many of them have you needlessly slaughtered while ignorantly thinking you’re doing the world a favour?”

Audrey frowned. She asked him why he had been here for over 200 years, and he explained that they all had worked here as entertainers before the bombs fell. They decided to make the place their home, regardless of the radiation. He called what happened to the ferals an “illness” and was trying to find a cure.

Audrey had to admit it was sad.

She tried to explain to him that it was too late for them. That the radiation had changed them forever. He didn’t like that. He called her the monster, saying she knew that they were sick and yet killed them anyway. He told her that his wife Rachel had left this place years ago to try and find a cure for the ferals, and in return he would defend the park.

Audrey couldn’t help but feel defeated. This poor man just couldn’t see the truth. “I promise you, there’s no cure.” She persisted. “You’d be better off trying to find her so you can be together.”

Oswald just shook his head. “You’re wrong. There is a cure, there has to be. But...” he trailed off, looking off towards the outskirts of the park. “Maybe she needs my help.”

He told her he was going to find her, and help her find the cure together, and that he would gather what remained of his friends, and leave. And also not to worry about the sprinklers.

And with that he threw down a final smoke bomb, and was gone.

Audrey just stood there. Her mind was trying to figure out how he managed to do that. How he managed to survive so many bullets, how he raised the fallen ghouls. If the bombs radiation made ghouls possible, could it really make them have those abilities as well?

She didn’t even realize that it had started to rain, until Gage put a hand on her good shoulder. “Hey boss, we should get some cover, and looks like we’ll be staying here for the night.”

Audrey nodded, and they made their way back down to the base of the Castle. She really didn’t want to spend the night inside the auditorium after everything that had happened, so they found themselves on the third floor of one of the shops in the park. The view was amazing, as you could see most of the park from their little vantage point. It was getting darker outside, and Audrey had agreed with Gage that they should wait until morning to leave, to let the rain pass. By the looks of it, it wasn’t going to leave any time soon.

She sat on her bedroll, and winced as she remembered her wound.

“I’ll fix that for ya.” said Gage.

“I said I’m fine.” Audrey hissed, but the man ignored her, instead finding a pair of scissors and cutting away the torn fabric. She couldn’t help but watch him do his thing, only swearing at him a few times as he rinsed the wound with vodka. His hands were surprisingly gentle as he applied the stitches.

“Thanks.” she said quietly after he was finished.

“Don’t mention it.”


	6. SIX

Audrey decided the next morning to assign Kiddie Kingdom to The Operators. She figured that they would like the atmosphere, and maybe once they got the main power up and running they could start charging people to go on the rides.

She had also woken before Gage, surprisingly. She'd started taking inventory of what items they had left. A few stimpacks, a couple bottles of Rad-x, bandages - most of the items she'd originally packed. She still had plenty for them to take another park before they had to head back to the market to replenish.

She sat cross-legged on her sleeping bag, and retrieved the map of Nuka World from her pack. She laid it in front of her and began to decide where to go next.

Gage let out a soft snore and Audrey couldn't help but look up at him. He was on his side facing her, and she found herself studying his face. He was still wearing that eye patch, but his features were relaxed. Peaceful almost. 

_Handsome even._

"Can I help you with something?"

Audrey's eyes snapped to Gage's, which was now staring at her quizzically. 

She ignored him, looking back down to the map in her lap. "World of Refreshment is closest to us," she said, dismissing previous thoughts. "I was thinking we could hit that next."

Gage grunted as he pushed himself up off of his bedroll. "I haven't heard much about what we'll find there." he said. He started rolling up his bed. "Let's hope nothin' too crazy that we can't handle."

They finished packing their things, and set off for The World of Refreshment. 

The sun had already been up for a few hours as they walked through the park. Audrey was loving every minute of it. She couldn't help but picture what this place was like before the bombs dropped, full of colour and life. She'd already had her moment of being depressed about being in this. This was life now, whether she liked it or not.

It also helped that she no longer had the Institute and her son to worry about.

She was, after all, supposed to be in retirement.

"Hey boss?" Gage asked as he walked beside her.

Audrey glanced over at him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, sure, all things considered. Just been thinking, is all. That whole thing with Colter. I know we talked about it some, but..." He ran a hand through his mohawk. "It could be a sore spot between us, yeah? I mean, here I went and and turned on the Overboss. Whose to say I wouldn't do it again?"

Of course that thought had crossed Audrey's mind. Multiple times. But so far, with them taking over Kiddie Kingdom, she was starting to trust him. Just a little.

He also hadn't stabbed her in her sleep yet, so there was that.

"What's the matter, Gage?" She decided to play it cool. "Feeling guilty all of a sudden?"

She watched him flash her a small smile. "No, 'aint no guilt over that call. Colter was a piece of shit. I've been real clear about that with you. But that... really was all on me. I'm the one who talked him into being Overboss in the first place."

Audrey raised an eyebrow at that one. "If he was so bad, why help in the first place?"

He laughed. "If I'd known it was gonna get so bad, I wouldn't have."

Gage explained how he thought Colter was what the operation needed: big, strong, and wouldn't take shit from anyone. People would fear him, and Gage would have helped him run things. But of course Colter had been stubborn, letting it all get to his head.

"Aint the first time I've seen it honestly," Gage said. "But it was one of the worst."

Now Audrey was really confused. "What are you saying? You've made a habit out of doing this?"

"No, no!" he exclaimed, and Audrey was slightly relieved. "This whole Nuka World plan was way bigger than anything I done before. One thing I've learned over the years: being the guy in charge also means you're the guy with the biggest target on your back."

Audrey couldn't help but glare at him.

_How reassuring._

"Whether it's another gang looking to take whatever you've scraped together, or some punk thinking he knows better than the boss..." he trailed off, then looked back to her. "There is always, always someone gunning for you."

No one said anything for a beat as they walked beside each other. 

"I don't want that target on me." Gage finally finished. "But, If I can be the guy just behind the guy in charge, that suits me just fine."

He started saying something else, but Audrey was getting frustrated. "Where are you going with all of this, Gage?"

"Hell, boss. I 'aint good at this."

Suddenly, he stopped, and turned to face Audrey. "You 'aint like Colter. That's what I'm getting at. You 'aint like the other Raiders I've run with."

 _Maybe because I'm_ not _a Raider._

"So far you've made a pretty damn good Overboss, and it's been fun running with you."

Audrey had her hands on her hips as they looked at each other. 

_He thought this shit was fun?_

"I-I'm just saying... I'm starting to be glad we teamed up, is all." 

Audrey had to admit that she was glad they did as well.

"Alright, fuck it." Gage said bitterly. "You know what I'm getting at." He raised his rifle back to his chest. "Let's get going."

He started off towards The World of Refreshment and Audrey smirked while rolling her eyes at the Raider before continuing after him.

It wasn't long before they reached the exterior of the ride. It appeared to have been a boat ride, considering the moat running through the building. It seemed like the only entrance was through the start of the ride. And that meant they had to get wet.

"I hate being wet." Audrey groaned as she jumped into the water. 

"You'll be fine, princess." Gage replied.

Audrey rolled her eyes at the pet name, and waded through the water leading into the attraction. It was pitch black, and she had to take a moment to let her eyes adjust. She felt Gage bump into her from behind and he swore.

"Sorry."

Audrey just shook her head, holding her rifle above her head as she made her way to the light at the end of the tunnel.

She stopped suddenly, only to have Gage bump into her again.

"Do you need me to navigate?" he said, starting to walk in front of her, but she held out her arm.

"Don't move" she whispered.

But it was too late.

Audrey watched as the mirelurk egg nest in front of them started wriggling, and then hatching. They started to make their way towards them as the ground beneath them rumbled and a mirelurk further down the ride erupted from the ground. It's entire body glowed and it started scuttling towards them.

_Oh fuck me._


	7. SEVEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took an unnecessarily long time to update. Enjoy.

"Have I told you how much I fucking hate these things?" said Audrey as she took down another Mirelurk, or rather Nukalurk, as Gage had called them. They had maneuvered their way around the interior of the ride, somehow managing to take down each one they came across. 

"Maybe once or twice!" yelled Gage as he finished off a Nukalurk Hunter.

Audrey couldn't tell how long they'd been in there, but it had been a while. At some point she had picked a lock to a door by one of the animatronic scenes, and they were able to get a good vantage point from atop the scaffolding of the water ride. Her clothes were soaking wet, along with everything in her pack. That and her armor were only weighing her down, making taking out all the Nukalurks that much difficult. Her shoulder from where Oswald had slashed her was throbbing. She didn't dare use a stimpack as she knew she only had so many and she needed all the energy she had left.

Audrey could have cried with happiness after Gage killed the final Nukalurk that resided at the end of the attraction.

 _"On behalf of all of us at Nuka World, we hope you've enjoyed the ride and learning more about Nuka Cola!"_

The announcers voice was starting to give Audrey a headache.

"We're not finished yet." Gage said gruffly.

Audrey cursed.

She had almost forgotten about the Assaultrons that were milling about in the control room.

They took their time getting their plan ready. Audrey had managed to reprogram one of the turrets just outside of the room the Assaultrons were in, and had it facing the door. Gage had found a couple of grenades in a toolbox and was stationed down the hallway ready to throw.

Audrey was hunkered by the door that she would have to open to initiate the plan. 

Her heart was beating fast.

And she was scared shit-less.

 _Ready?_ she mouthed at Gage, and she watched him nod.

_Alright Audrey._

_You got this._

She reached for the handle and quickly opened the door. 

"Scanners detecting sentient life. Alert level elevated." 

Audrey watched Gage pull the pin on one of the grenades and throw it towards the open door. She quickly dashed behind the turret, rifle raised. Two Assaultrons made their way to the doorway just as the grenade exploded. Audrey covered her face as shrapnel flew down on her and the turret came to life, shooting round after round into the doorway.

A loud ringing was all she could hear, but she turned around and began firing into the doorway herself. 

The Assaultrons didn't even know what hit them.

The turret finally stopped and Audrey, breathless, peered around it. Assaultron parts lay in pieces at the entrance, wires spitting sparks and arm pieces smoking. 

_Holy shit they actually did it._

Audrey almost laughed out loud. 

"Need a hand?"

She looked up to see Gage standing above her. He had his hand out and she gladly took it, his strong grasp pulling her to her feet. 

"Thanks." she said, and he gruffed in response. 

They made their way into the control room, past the parts and debris littering the doorway. The room was filled with filing cabinets, and papers scattered everywhere. There were two terminals along the wall, and Audrey made her way towards one of them. She could hear Gage working his way through the room. A password locked her out of the terminal, and she smirked.

_Time to put those skills Valentine taught me to use._

After a few tries she finally made it into the terminal, and she grinned.

"You got that?" Gage asked after peering over her shoulder. "Me... computers were always beyond me."

Audrey dug through the few files, the only thing of importance being an option to unlock a door. She selected that, and looked up at Gage. "Time to get out of here."

They exited the control room, through a hallway that had windows looking out towards the Nuka Cola factory. In another world she would have loved to have actually taken the tour.

_Not the time for that._

A large double door was on the right, and it pushed open with little effort. The sunlight from outside blinded Audrey as she squinted, raising a hand in front of her. They made their way outside into a smaller control room, that opened to the exterior of the bottling plant. Audrey's chest fell as multiple Nukalurks scuttled around the grounds.

Before they had a chance to plan out what to do, the faces of the Nukalurks snapped to them and immediately began making their way towards them.

"Oh for fuck sakes." said Audrey.

They cocked their rifles and began firing down at the Nukalurks from their vantage point. Gage managed to take down two of them, and Audrey one, before two had made their way up to them. Gage smacked one with the butt of his rifle as it swiped its claw at him. It bounced off of his armor, and Gage blasted it in the face. It collapsed to the ground as the second tried to clamber over the body. Audrey raised her rifle and fired a few rounds into its face. It crashed to the ground and then then a piercing screech erupted from above them.

"What the fuck was that?" Audrey asked as she looked for the source.

"I hope it's not what I think it is." said Gage.

They cautiously made their way up the metal catwalk and Audrey spotted a figure glaring down at them.

_Oh fuck._

A Mirelurk, rather Nukalurk King looked down at them before letting out another piercing shriek.

Audrey quickly shoved her hand through the pack at her side and pulled out a grenade. She pulled the pin and threw it towards the creature. Just as she predicted, it began to run towards them and the timing was too perfect. Audrey covered her head as the grenade exploded, a guttural scream ringing out from the King.

"Jesus." said Gage behind her, and she looked up at him.

"If there's a King, then there must be-" 

The ground started vibrating and Audrey had to grab onto the rail for balance. They looked down at the ground while a tremor shook the catwalk. Audrey tightened her grip, heart beating fast. She found herself looking down at the crater outside the plant filled with water start to ripple violently until a massive lump start to rise. 

Audrey stared in horror.

A Nukalurk Queen rose slowly from the water, the rough surface of its shell glinting in the sunlight. 

Audrey had fought one Queen before, nearly a year ago when she had reluctantly helped the Minuteman reclaim the Castle back in the Commonwealth. They had managed to defeat it, though at the time there had been at least ten of them. Here, there was just her and Gage.

She mentally recalled what they had left for ammo and weaponry- definitely not enough, but it would have to do.

The Queen slowly started to make their way towards them, acid already spouting violently. They dashed along the catwalk to avoid it, and it sizzled as it tried to eat away at the metal. Gage fired a few rounds towards the Queen, but it just seemed to bounce off the hard shell. Audrey tried to fire back, but knew it wouldn't do anything.

She needed to get closer.

"Try and distract it." She said to Gage, digging through his pack. 

He gave her one look with his eye. "Don't tell me you're going down there." he said, reading her mind.

She ignored him, finding the couple of mines that he had. She stuffed them in her own pack, next to the two that she had. 

"Boss-"

"Just do it!" she yelled, shoving him away from her as the Queen spouted more acid towards them. It landed between them, and Audrey started running down the catwalk. She heard Gage swear and start firing at the Queen. "Over here, asshole!" 

Audrey leaped over the small hole in the catwalk that the acid had ate away at, trying not to think about the suicide mission she was putting herself in. She made her way to the ground, and thankfully Gage's distraction was working as the Queen had turned to face him, its back towards Audrey. She dashed around the edge of water, hiding behind a large metal storage container. 

_Come on, come on,_  She thought to herself as she set her pack on the ground and began riffling around for the mines. She had to activate them near the Queen, and get the fuck out of the way. A powerful explosive was the only way they could even try and take it down. 

She could hear Gage's yelling and shots in the background as she gathered the mines. She peered around the corner and the Queen still had its back to her. 

_It's now or never._

Audrey took a deep breath, and ran out from her hiding spot, dashing towards the Queen. She made her way alongside the bank, cradling the mines to her chest. She nearly tripped, dropping them all, but recovered. She got as close as she could before setting the mines down, frantically trying to set them with shaking hands. She briefly looked up towards Gage, shooting at the Queen. But then he suddenly yelled, and turned to a Nukalurk King that had come up behind him. 

Audrey stared in horror as the Queen's attention on Gage faltered, and it turned to face her.

_Oh God._

She hurriedly tried to set the last two mines, struggling to set the final one. The Queen let out a ungodly roar, and started to make its way towards Audrey. 

She finally got the last mine set, and struggled to her feet before turning and running from the Queen. She turned to look behind her, and felt her foot catch on the ground, yelping as she stumbled forward. She placed her hand out to try and catch her, but felt her wrist snap. 

"Fuck!" she cursed, clutching her wrist to her chest. She blinked back tears and looked back towards the Queen. It was already mere inches from the mines, and Audrey could only stare. 

"AUDREY!" she heard someone yell, and looked up to see Gage, his face covered in blood. He stared down at her in horror.

The next thing she knew, explosions filled her ears, and then all she saw was black.


End file.
